DOB: September 1, 1923 in Brockton, MA Passed: August 31, 1969

Childhood Heroes: “Tony Lanzeri, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis – he spoke so reverently of him. Felt he was as classy a guy as he had ever met.”

Nicknames: “The Rock, The Brockton Blockbuster, The Champ, King of the Hill.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Absolutely loved reading – philosophy, religion, meditating, baseball.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “September 23, 1952. In Philadelphia, he had just thrown a right cross in the 13th round – coming from certain defeat – to win the Heavyweight championship of the world from Jersey Joe Walcott. And besides the birth of his daughter (Mary Anne), one of the greatest moments of his life was when he asked our father to retire from working in the shoe factory. My dad was the proudest guy in the world. And I think Rocky was even prouder.”

Most Painful Moment: “The day he knocked out Joe Louis (1951). His boyhood hero. Actually knocked him through the ropes (8th round). Afterward, Rocky said, ‘His career is over and I was the one that had to do it.’ It really did bother him.”

Favorite Movie: “On The Waterfront.”

Musical Tastes: “Big Band.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “Rocky was a hard, hard worker before a fight. The rigors he went through. I don’t know if anyone came close. When he trained, he was like a monk. He gave up all the Italian foods, no women would enter his life. Literally lived like a monk. He spent a great deal of his time reading. Whenever he went into the ring, he knew in his mind, he was in the very best shape. He knew the opponent could not be in the shape he’s in. Tremendous confidence.”

“He knew in his mind, the power of positive thinking, before the book even came out. He knew when he hit them, they had to go down. He was so positive about it, he could lay down before a fight and fall asleep. A tremendous ability. I saw it with my own eyes.”

(Would he look at his opponents after entering the ring?) He never would look at his opponent. He had his own feeling about that. In the ring he was really a different person. He was, I hate to say it, a killer. Outside the ring he was so much different. Opponents often tried to intimidate him. Rocky always had to have his eyes slightly down. He didn’t want to know anything about the opponent, his family, who he loved, who loved him. It was not personal, just a job to do. After a fight, Rocky never did not go over and see if his opponent was okay.”

Favorite Meal: “Obviously, mom’s (Pasqualena) pasta. But his number one favorite was mom’s homemade lentil soup.”

First Job: “Worked in a factory that made shoe soles.”

Toughest Opponents: “Carmine Vingo and Jersey Joe Walcott.”

Hardest Puncher Encountered: “Vingo. Rocky met him at Madison Square Garden in 1949. Vingo was an Italian from New York City who had nothing but glory days ahead of him. A possible future champion. Rocky said Vingo hit him the hardest in his career.”

Worst Injury: ‘I can tell you from personal observation. Ezzard Charles, 1954. No one really knows what kind of punch did it, maybe an uppercut. It slit underneath Rocky’s nose. Like a slice by a knife. Horrible cut. The doctor came in and was very close to stopping it. The cut was bleeding profusely. Rocky went out and stopped him in the next round, with a straight right, left, right. I remember going into the locker room after, to give my big brother a big hug and a kiss, when he was talking with the reporters. When I saw that cut it almost made me throw up.”

Funny Boxing Memory: “He had a fight early in his career against Don Mogard I think. Before the fight, they met accidentally in the hallway. The guy looked real nervous. He said, ‘I know you’re gonna be a great, great fighter. I’m going to earn a few bucks…I’ve fallen on hard times.’ He let it know he wasn’t excited about being in the ring with Rocky. I guess he was asking Rocky to take it easy on him. And the fight ended up going the distance.”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: “Willie Pep. His number one favorite from Hartford, CT. A real sharp dresser. Rocky was in awe of him. A Deion Sanders type of guy way back then [laughs]. Joe Louis. Muhammad Ali. Tremendous respect for Ali. They met each other many times. Ali always referred to Rocky as ‘The Champ.’ Ali was at the wake (in Brockton in 1969) after Rocky’s airplane accident. A reporter asked Ali a question and Ali said, It wasn’t ‘the time to conduct an interview here. I’m here to pay my respects to one of the greatest fighters to ever live and a great man and a dear friend.’ I was nearby when he said that. I always had the greatest respect for Muhammad Ali.”

Favorite Vacation Spots: “Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Italy.”

Childhood Dream: “Being a Major League Baseball player.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Absolutely adored his mother and father. They were simple people whose love was unconditional. He admired people who succeed in life. Especially if they could succeed in an honorable way. And could give something back to where they came from. A big believer in that.”

www.thebiofile.com

(Thanks to Peter Marciano for making this Biofile with Rocky Marciano possible.)

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 210

DOB: December 2, 1955 In: St. Paul, Minn.

Childhood Heroes: “Well, I was a big baseball fan, I loved baseball when I was a kid. And my heroes were probably Harmon Killebrew and Zoilo Versalles, two guys who played for the Minnesota Twins.”

Hockey Inspirations: “My brother Mark.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Fish.”

Nickname: “(Any besides Homer?) Nope, that’s the only one.”

Favorite Movies: “Shawshank Redemption and Slapshot.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Seinfeld.”

Musical Tastes: “Oldies.”

Early Hockey Memory: “I can remember my brother, who passed away and was a year older than me. We grew up and played together all the way through high school. I have a lot of fond memories of that.”

First Job: “I worked at a sod farm when I was 15.”

First Car: “Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1976.”

Favorite Meal: “Still lasagna.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Mint chocolate chip.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Playing in the Stanley Cup finals in 1980.”

Most Painful Moment: “That same year [smiles]. Losing in the Stanley Cup finals in 1980 (to the New York Islanders).”

Closest Hockey Friends: “Kevin McCarthy, Bob Clarke, Ron Hextall.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Rick MacLeish, Bob Kelly, Kevin McCarthy.”

Toughest Competitors: “Terry O’Reilly, Wayne Cashman, Clark Gillies and Bobby Nystrom.”

Toughest Fighters: “For me, Garry Howatt [smiles]. I could never get him off my chest. And he was small; he was smaller than I was. Even if you were to win, you look like you lose because you’re fighting a smaller guy. He was a hard-nosed guy. I ended up having to fight him a lot and I just don’t feel like I ever beat him [smiles].”

Favorite Arena(s): “Today I like the rink the Wild play in. It is one of the nicest ones. But I’ve always enjoyed going to Toronto. I liked playing in Maple Leaf Gardens.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Northern Minnesota.”

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: “Probably like 1981, we came back and won Game 6 of the playoff series against Calgary and everyone in hockey expected us to beat them in Game 7. We just played terrible and they played great and beat us. I don’t know if that’s embarrassing, but that’s what comes to mind.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Integrity.”

Career Accomplishments: NHL right wing 1975-1985; played in 1981 NHL All-Star Game; scored 144 goals in 527 NHL games; was the first U.S.-born player to score a hat trick in a Stanley Cup final game (1980 Game 2 vs. Islanders).

Status: Former PGA golfer and two-time Masters winner.

DOB: January 11, 1952 In: Austin, TX

Childhood Heroes: “Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus. The Big Three. They have some unbelievable records. And for the men they are too.”

Early Golf Memory: “Winning Texas State junior championship. Match play tournament. 600 entries from all over the state. It was the first big tournament I won (age 15).”

Nicknames: “Gental Ben, Mental Ben.”

Favorite TV Shows: “The Andy Griffith Show, nature shows.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Golf course architecture, country western music, fishing, bird watching, golf artifacts.”

Favorite Movie: “Field of Dreams.”

Musical Tastes: “Gatlin Brothers, George Strait, Willie Nelson, George Jones.”

First Job: “Caddying for some college players (age 13).”

First Car: “1970 green (with white top) Buick GS 455 (Grand Sport).”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the 1984 Masters. It was special for me. Bobby Jones built Augusta. It was his conception. It’s how he thought about the game, how he presented the game.”

Favorite Golfers To Watch: “Seve Ballesteros. Greg Norman. Steve Elkington. There’s so many good, young players, good swings, good mechanics.”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican.”

Favorite Book: “Anything by Bobby Jones. One of the real masters of the English language. I enjoy anything he ever wrote on the game. He was the best player-writer, very much an intellectual.”

Favorite Sport Outside Golf: “To watch – baseball. To play – basketball and baseball.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Alan Trammel. I saw Detroit play Texas. My eyes just followed him the whole game. I never saw someone so intense. Running the bases, going to the dugout…it looked like he was doing everything he could do to play his best. I never met him but I sure do admire him. Don Baylor – I grew up with him. A great man. I have lots of admiration for him. Spike Owen – a friend of mine.”

Funniest Golfers Encountered: “Jimmy Demaret. Lee Trevino. Chi Chi Rodriguez. Peter Jacobsen.”

Closest Friends In Golf: “Lanny and Bobby Wadkins. Steve Elkington. Bruce Lietzke. Bill Rogers.”

Favorite Golf Courses: “Winged Foot. Merion (PA). Shinnecock Hills. National Golf Links. So many.”

People Most Admired: “Golfers. I do. Because they have to prove something each week. You kind of start over each week. It’s an equitable game. Very simple. If you play well, you get paid. If not, you don’t. I have a lot of admiration for golfers.”

Family: Wife, Julie; daughter, Katherine.

Career Accomplishments: NCAA Golf Champ in 1971, 1972, 1973; Won first ever pro event of his PGA career (1973); Winner of 1984 and 1995 Masters; 19 PGA victories; Former captain of U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 240

DOB: November 9, 1979, in Houston, Texas

Childhood Heroes: “I really didn’t have any childhood heroes.”

Nicknames: “I want to skip that one, there’s a lot of them [smiles].”

Hobbies/Interests: “I like fishing, hunting and playing PlayStation.”

Early Baseball Memory: “I can remember when I was four-years-old, I was on the All-Star team in T-ball. I played catcher. If you know anything about T-ball and catching, the catcher does nothing except when they swing and miss, you put the ball back on the tee for them. That was me, the All-Star catcher [smiles].”

Favorite Movies: “‘Tombstone’, ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’, ‘Shawshank’.”

Musical Tastes: “Country, any kind of country. Pretty much anything.”

Favorite TV Shows: “‘Friends’, and ‘Simpsons’.”

Childhood Dream: “I was going to be a doctor all the way. But it didn’t work out.”

First Car: “A white Dodge truck.”

First Job: “This is it, baseball [smiles].”

Current Car: “Lamborhini.”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican food.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I would have to go with Froot Loops.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I’m just relaxed. I really don’t get nervous. Just wondering when the wait is going to be over. Another day. This is your job. You’ve got to go out there and take it seriously.”

Greatest Sports Moment(s): “So far, I’d say the greatest moment would have to be just making the big leagues. (Adam was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on July 20, 2001. He played that night in Florida and got his first hit in his second at-bat against Matt Clement.) And being an All-Star (in 2002).”

Most Painful Moment: “I haven’t had any really painful ones.”

Worst Injury: “I guess that would be in 2000. I broke my thumb and had 17 stitches taken over my eye. The third baseman ran into me on a pop-up.

Closest Baseball Friend: “I’ve got a bunch.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “I’m gonna have to go with someone like Kent Mercker — he’s funny. Do they have to be in baseball still? (No.) Pete Harnisch, he was the best. He was hilarious. Funniest human being on earth [smiles].”

Toughest Competitors: “You gotta go with people like Clemens. And I’ll tell you what — Jake Peavy is up there too.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “We were in A-ball. My buddy’s name was Randy Stegell and he had a pretty good game, so he had an interview on TV. He never had that before so he was really excited. So we kind of got him with shaving cream in the face [smiles]. And he kind of took it personal. So I get out of the shower and get dressed and go to put my shoes on and my freakin’ shoes are filled with shaving cream. He thought that was really funny.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “I like Tennessee … Gatlinsburg. It’s in old folks’ territory, but I like it.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I’m gonna have to say Toronto’s.”

Favorite Ballpark: “Houston.”

Embarrassing Baseball Moment: “I haven’t had any real embarrassing stuff. Just normal stuff, like droppin’ flyballs. Nothing really out of the ordinary.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I liked watching Larry Walker. I liked Bo Jackson back in the day. (Basketball?) I’m not a big basketball guy … since Hakeem (Olajuwon) left Houston. (Boxing?) I like Bernard Hopkins. (Tennis?) Besides Anna Kournikova — she’s my all-time favorite — I like Andy Roddick. And Maria Sharapova (Golf?) Steve Elkington. Gotta go with my boy. We’re pretty good friends.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I think honesty … to me. And I don’t like selfish people. So you’ve got to be honest and not selfish.”

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 238

DOB: August 10, 1958 In: Akron, Ohio

Childhood Heroes: “Muhammad Ali was a favorite of mine, of course. Martin Luther King was also a very strong role model. He showed no fear.”

Favorite Movies: “The Great Gatsby. That’s the one that sticks out in my mind. I felt it was such a great movie, the whole thing, the suffering he went through. It’s similar to my life, the highs and lows.”

First Car: “1974 yellow Ford Pinto.”

First Job: “Picking up and delivering lunch for workers at a construction site during summer (age 8). I also had jobs of hauling bricks. Then I was a busboy at Holiday Inn when I was 13.”

Favorite TV Shows Of All-Time: “Game shows. I’m a game show fanatic. Cosby. Wild Wild West. Rat Patrol.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “When I won the Heavyweight championship (KO 1 Mike Weaver in Las Vegas in December 1982). My greatest sports moment ever. The second-fastest KO in heavyweight history (63 seconds). I’m still in the record books for that.”

Most Painful Moment: “Losing the title (by KO 10 to Gerrie Coetzee in second title defense).”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Australia. No doubt about that. The beaches, the wine country, the reefs. I’m just so enchanted by Australia. Almost the same land mass as America but only 12 million people. Lots of undeveloped land. I love the place.”

Pre-Fight Meal: “Fish, pasta, some type of vegetables, water, maybe hot tea.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Grits.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate and vanilla.”

All-Time Favorite Fights: “Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Tony Zale, Jake Lamotta, all of his fights were so great. Each fight was a different plateau for him. He was so versatile. He could adapt to so many different styles. The best boxer I ever saw.”

Nicknames: “Thor. Baromus – my cousins used to call me that when I was a kid. I had no idea what they were talking about. (Also Michael went by the popular ring name – Dynamite.)”

Favorite Book: “Eastern Star. Muhammad Ali gave it to me when I was 17. That is probably one of the most knowledgeable books that I’ve read. It gave me insight on life. Ali took me under his wing. He taught me more about life than boxing.”

Musical Tastes: “Jazz, George Howard, James Ingram, Ronnie Laws, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, so many that I like. I could go on for days [smiles].”

Early Boxing Memory: “I had one win and two losses when I first started to box when I was 11 [smiles]. My friend Randy McGrady started with me, he used to tease me about that. He used to call me ‘One and two.’ He made me work harder, train harder. Then I went like 50 fights without a loss. I owe a lot to him.”

Favorite Sport Outside Boxing: “Basketball. So fast, so many dimensions to it. You need a great center, a great guard, forward, great depth, a great rebounder. And you need to have great offense and defense.”

People Most Admired: “Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King. Don King. Cricket Miller – she’s a little girl that’s paraplegic that I know. Here’s a person that is confined to a wheelchair for life and she has so much energy, vibrance, vigor. Every now and then when I talk to her, she’s depressed. But she always wants to do things. I just admire her so much for her strength. My mom.”

Future Ambition: “To get the most coveted prize in sports – the Heavyweight championship of the world. Say a prayer for me and I’ll do the rest.”

(Note: This interview was conducted at Madison Square Garden in 1992 after Michael’s KO 3 win over Danny Sutton in the Paramount Theater.)

Status: Head coach of the Syracuse University basketball team. You can wager online betting on NCAA basketball action at click here

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 205

DOB: Nov. 17, 1944 In: Lyons, N.Y.

Childhood Heroes: “Jack Nicklaus, Henry Aaron, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Golf.”

Nickname: “Bobo. P.J. Carlesimo calls me that one. I don’t know why.”

Early Basketball Memory: “The high school coach (Dick Blackwell) used to take all of us sixth graders to have a practice for five hours on Saturday mornings. He wanted to have a good team. We lost four games in six years. We had a good group, we knew each other well.”

First Car: “1958 cream-colored Ford Thunderbird convertible. With red seats. I rode it into the ground. We used to go to practice with 12 guys in it.”

Favorite Movies: “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, westerns.”

All-Time Favorite TV Shows: “Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law.”

Musical Tastes: “Bruce Springsteen. I saw him in concert in Syracuse. I liked him. He’s got tremendous energy. He’s a great performer.”

Favorite Meal: “Veal, fish.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I don’t eat breakfast.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Not too much. Just try to get relaxed. Get ready. Think of some of the little things we’re gonna try to do. Try not to get too uptight over it. What is this? Some kind of offbeat psychological profile [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, you know, if you win the National Championship, that’s the only thing. There’s nothing that can top that (defeated Kansas 81-78 in New Orleans in 2003).”

Most Painful Moments: “Oh, I think in ‘87 when we lost to Indiana. We had a good chance to win the game and it just slipped away at the end. So those are always … when you lose the National Championship, that’s pretty painful [laughs].”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Oh, I don’t know. There’s a lot. Everybody’s fierce. There’s a million, they’re all very fierce. Off the top of my head … Chris Mullin of St John’s. He just wouldn’t let us beat them. He was that kind of player. Patrick Ewing. Gerry McNamara.”

Funniest Person I’ve Encountered in College Hoops: “Abe Lemmons.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Bermuda.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods. Wayne Gretzky. Michael Jordan. Steffi Graf. Deion Sanders. Derek Jeter. Emmitt Smith. Jerry Rice. Muhammad Ali — my favorite boxer of all-time. Sugar Ray Robinson — the best fights I ever saw were Robinson with Carmen Basilio, ‘The Onion Farmer’ from Canastota, N.Y., home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “People who really dedicate their lives to helping other people and charitable causes. There are people who do that without asking for or receiving anything. Those are the people you have to admire.”

Future Ambition: “I’d like to play on the Senior Golf Tour, but I know I’m not good enough [smiles].”

Status at the time: Seattle Mariners shortstop.

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 195 (now he’s 230)

DOB: July 27, 1975 In: New York, NY

Childhood Heroes: “Cal Ripken. Ozzie Smith – just like magic. Dale Murphy.”

Nicknames: “Big Dog, Junior Jr.”

Early Baseball Memory: “I gave up baseball in eighth grade. Thought I was better at basketball and football. I’m glad I came back…Winning the Pony League championship in San Francisco for the Miami team (age 11). (How did you do?) I did all right. I wasn’t a big part of the team hitting-wise but I was a good defensive player. I really enjoyed it. That was awesome. For three months we traveled all over the U.S. And we finally made it to the pinnacle. And we won.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Weightlifting, fishing, golf, play basketball.”

Favorite Movies: “Scarface, Goodfellas.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Silver Spoons. Ricky Schroeder. I liked him. Kind of funny. How I grew up a little bit, without the money. I liked his family. And Martin.”

First Job: “Summer camp with Rich Hoffman Baseball School (age 15).”

First Car: “1972 four-door Chrysler (white). Old, Lincoln type. Gave me character [laughs].”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken, fettuccine alfredo, with fruit punch.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Lucky Charms.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate chip.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Nervous and excited at the same time. (Visualize?) I visualize all the time – going 4-for-4, making nice plays and all that. Doesn’t always go that way [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Being invited to the All-Star Game (‘96). Stepping on the field, my first at-bat.”

Most Painful Moment: “Being demoted five times to the minor leagues (in ‘95). A real hard time…crying, hard times, felt terrible.”

Closest Baseball Friends: “I have four of them, is that all right? (Of course.) Derek Jeter, Alex Gonzalez, Jeffrey Hammonds and Jose Canseco.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Ken Griffey Jr.. He’s always got something funny to say, always cracking on someone.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Chipper Jones. He played against us one year in the Florida State finals with a broken hand. And he pitched real well, something like a two-hitter. Alex Fernandez. Roberto Alomar. Jay Buhner. Randy Johnson.”

Interesting Fact: “How I take as much pride as being a good person off the field as on the field. Meaning…I don’t revolve my whole life around baseball.”

Last Halloween Costume: “Batman.”

Favorite Vacation Spot(s): “Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, California, New York.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Michael Jordan. Dan Marino. Ken Griffey Jr. Barry Bonds. Chris Evert. Fred Couples – I got the chance to meet him at the Buick Open when we were in Detroit. Gabriela Sabatini. Anfernee Hardaway. Sugar Ray Leonard. Isiah Thomas.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like honesty. And I like considerate people.”

This is my first interview with Derek Jeter who at the time was playing AAA with the Columbus Clippers in 1994. We did this by phone…

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 180

DOB: June 26, 1974 In: Pequannock, NJ

Childhood Heroes: “Dave Winfield, Barry Larkin – shortstop, went to Michigan, always been a big fan of his.”

Nickname: “Jete.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jalen Rose, Joe Montana, Tyrone Wheatley, Winfield, Larkin, Jennifer Capriati.”

Early Baseball Memory: “Playing for my dad (Charles) when he was coach. He was pretty lenient. When you’re growing up everyone wants to play for your dad. I played shortstop and second base (age 10-11).”

First Job: “Mowing lawns in Kalamazoo, Michigan (age 15).”

First Car: “1981 gray Datsun 310.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Sleep, watch movies, I don’t have too many hobbies.”

Childhood Dream: “Always wanted to be a baseball player. My dad played in college. I always wanted to play for the Yankees.”

Favorite Movie: “Major League.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Martin, Incredible Hulk.”

Musical Tastes: “Mariah Carey, Christopher Williams, R&B.”

Best Book Read: “Fab Five. It’s about some young people going to Michigan. Really interesting.”

Favorite Meal: “Spaghetti, meatball, and a Coke.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Frosted Flakes.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Being drafted. Getting the phone call at my house in Kalamazoo, right around noon. I was with my family. Felt happy. Relieved that it was over. Happy it was the Yankees, they were always my favorite team. We went out to eat.”

Little Known Fact: “I love to sleep. I don’t know if its little known. It keeps you out of trouble. I get a good 12 (hours) in every day. Sometimes all at once, sometimes I mix it up.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Have fun. Try not to think about it too much. I usually just watch TV or listen to music.”

Toughest Competitor Encountered: “Mariano Rivera. Pretty confident, doesn’t back down to anyone.”

People Most Admired: “Drug and alcohol abuse counselors. Social workers. My dad does that. Pretty tough job – trying to help out other people. Worrying about yourself is hard enough.”

Memorable High School Achievement: “Named Player of the Year – USA Today in ‘92.”

Future Ambitions: “Play in the Major Leagues. Be the best I can. Win championships. And finish school (Michigan).”

—————-

Then we updated his Biofile several times over the years at Yankee Stadium…

Favorite Movies: “Seven – I’m a big Samuel L. Jackson and Morgan Freeman fan. Scarface and Gladiator. Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts movies.”

Musical Tastes: “R&B, hip-hop, Black Rob, 50 Cent In The Club, Jay-Z, Jodeci.”

Favorite TV Show: “SportsCenter.”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken parmigian.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the World Series, the very last out. I wanted to push Charlie (Hayes) who caught the last out [smiles] out of the way. A dream come true. I don’t know if I can describe it. It depends on what your dream is. My dream was always to win a World Series. So it was a dream come true. The celebration was great. I celebrated for a month [laughs].”

Most Painful Moment: “Getting sent down in ‘95. Got called up in the middle of the season for a couple of weeks. Getting sent down was the worst. I was in Columbus for most of the season till September.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I just go out and play to be honest with you. I don’t sit around and think too much.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “To me it’s all funny. I have a good time in the locker room. I’m laughing the whole game. I don’t know if its too funny. It wasn’t too funny at the time. When I was in rookie ball, I hit .202. Terrible year, started off like 0-for-20-something with 14 strikeouts. Then I went back to my locker after one game and, do you remember those big red wiffle bats? They had it hanging from my locker, like, Maybe you should try using this. It wasn’t too funny at the time but now I look at it, it was funny.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Roger Clemens.”

Closest Baseball Friends: “Alex Rodriguez. Gerald Williams – he was like a big brother for me. Tino. Sojo. Tim Raines – one of the best teammates I ever had.”

Funniest Player: “Tim Raines, by far. Oh man, you’ve just got to be around him. Everything’s a joke with him. He laughs non-stop all day long. He’s great for the team.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jordan. Barkley. Dave Winfield. Barry Larkin. Alex Rodriguez – I’m good friends with him so I like watching him. Peyton Manning. Michael Vick. Pete Sampras – he seems like he’s quiet and then he goes out and just wins. That’s what he does. Doesn’t talk too much or anything like that. Just goes about his business. Seems like he has no reason to talk about it, just go out and show them. I like that. I enjoy watching tennis. I like Serena. Tiger Woods. Larry Holmes. I was a Larry Holmes fan. Roy Jones – I’m his biggest fan. The Michael Jordan of boxing – the best.”

Early Baseball Memory: “My mom used to pitch wiffle balls to me in our backyard before my high school games. We lived right next to the high school.”

Major League Debut: “My first game was in Seattle (‘95). I went to Seattle, my dad came, my mom couldn’t because my sister had a softball game. I never played in a dome before, I went 0-for-5.”

Favorite Sport To Watch: “Basketball.” To Play: “Basketball.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Puerto Rico.”

DOB: July 2, 1937 In: Randleman, NC

Childhood Heroes: “If I had any, it’d have been my dad (Lee). You gotta figure, we grew up in the 40s and there was no TV, no radio, you didn’t read newspapers. You didn’t even know there was an outside world out there. Growing up in rural North Carolina, you didn’t know about Mickey Mantle or a Babe Ruth or none of that kind of stuff. You learned that after you got a little bit older.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “You know, back when we were growing up, I was big on whittling. I used to like to make model planes and stuff like that. I used to like to take a block of wood and make a car or an animal out of it. Again, we didn’t have nothing to do, so that’s what we did.”

Favorite Movies: “We didn’t go to the movies back then [laughs]! I was before the movies. The first movie I’d ever seen was Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs when I was in fifth grade. When that movie came out, they took classes from school downtown to the movie theater. First time I’d ever been to a movie. I liked Dr. Zhivago because I liked the theme song. And John Wayne movies.”

Musical Tastes: “Country music, that’s all we listened to back then. That’s all we listen to now. Hank Williams. Alabama.”

Favorite TV Shows: “I watch a lot of the History Channel.”

First Job: “Probably sweeping floors at the shop. Really, when I was growing up, my uncles were in the tobacco business. But as far as having a job, working in the tobacco field, hoein’ the tobacco, suckin’ it, gettin’ out the worms. And then primin’ it and puttin’ it in the barns. That was the first time anybody ever gave me any money for doing anything.”

Early Racing Memory: “I have a memory of the first Winston Cup race – in Charlotte in 1949. We drove the car over to the race track. Then we crashed the thing. Then we had to ride home with my uncle to get home.”

Favorite Meal: “Pinto beans and onions, cornbread and a big glass of milk.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Butter pecan.”

Funny Racing Memory: “[Laughs]…probably these questions you’re asking me [laughs]. I don’t know about that.”

Pre-Race Feeling: “Just another deal to do. As far as adrenaline flow or any of that stuff, if they’re gonna have a race that’s gonna start at 1 o’clock, and as long as I get in the car, we’re okay. Some of the bigger races, like Daytona, being down there for two to three weeks, we’d say: This is what we’re running, these are the people that we gotta run against, how we gonna beat them? But the majority of the races, you just got in the car and whatever was in front of you, you made reflexes and thoughts off of that.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “[Laughs] That’s a good one…Probably winning the 200th win (1984). I can still remember that one. A lot of the other ones I can’t. The biggest deal in my life – besides getting married and having kids – was the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That was a high, high honor. And I was one of the very few people in the United States to get that.”

Most Painful Moment: “[Laughs]…well, some of them was wrecks. They’re always painful. I’ve been in a lot of hard crashes. Some of the deals when you lost races on the last lap and stuff like that, they were pretty painful, too. But you overcome them. Probably just getting hurt maybe. Maybe here at Pocono, probably I got hurt as bad as I did anywhere…broken neck. And that bothered me for a couple weeks. That was pretty painful.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Alpine, Wyoming. We got a place out there. That’s my favorite place. Because it’s so laid back. It’s sort of like going to Las Vegas, they don’t use clocks [laughs]. I mean, sun comes up, sun goes down, everybody’s laid back. There’s not a lot of people – 200,000 in the whole state. The deal is that people don’t bother Richard Petty there. I can go to town, they throw their hand up, like I’m a neighbor. That’s what part of the allure is. It’s my getaway.”

Closest Racing Friends: “I don’t know that I had any real close. In fact I know I never had any close friends who were racers. Hopefully, we got along, we got along with everybody. That was probably good enough.”

Toughest Competitors: “Pearson, Allison, Yarborough – the crowd that I came though with, they were real, real fierce.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Well, Kyle Petty was my favorite. Michael Jordan. NFL football. I’m a fan of the Washington Redskins. My grandson likes the Green Bay Packers. And we take them up to Green Bay for one game every year. Kind of like a Christmas present. We got to meet Brett Favre.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Common sense, period. That’ll take care of everything else.”

DOB: October 4, 1944 In: Tampa, FL

Childhood Heroes: “Al Lopez, Mickey Mantle.”

First Job: “Delivering milk with my dad (Tony) when I was 14.”

Childhood Dreams: “It was baseball. I was reared in a baseball-type household. It was to be involved in the Major Leagues as a player. I didn’t achieve that because I was a terrible player (career MLB batting average of .199 in 132 games in 16 professional seasons). But I’ve been fortunate to be involved in Major League Baseball for over 35 years.”

Favorite Movie: “Kelly’s Heroes.”

Musical Tastes: “Rock groups, Styx, Journey, rock singers but mostly rock groups.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Same every year. A lot of anxiety, nervousness. And if you don’t feel that, you’re not ready, you’re not interested.”

Favorite Meal: “Pasta, marinara.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Try not to eat it.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “1989 and 2006 World Championships. Everybody dreams of being a world champion. And three All-Star wins as a manager (1989-1991). I got a tremendous kick out of all of them. They were all two-run wins. I really love the All-Star scene.”

Most Painful Moment: “The Gibson home run (in game one of the 1988 World Series A’s vs. Dodgers). Because hindsight showed we ended up losing that World Series in five games. That first game was pivotal. We had to face Orel Hershiser the next night. I knew it was a tough loss. It’s only one but usually in a short series, one of your goals is to take a win from their closer. Not to give one up. You watch…often when that happens, usually you don’t recover.”

Toughest Competitor Encountered: “Good question. The problem talking about it is, if I make a list, I can forget some guys who really deserve to be on that list. So I don’t know if I really want to get into that. Off the top of my head – Don Baylor is one.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “When the season starts early on April 1st. The guys get a kick out of it when somebody who’s gonna make the club…and packing their bag and telling him to come see the manager. And to see the dejection, the heartbreak. It’s how far you want to follow through on it. Sometimes they wait until the team bus is leaving and then someone says, ‘Ah, let’s forget it.’ That always gets them. The guys enjoy that [smiles].”

Career Accomplishments: Major League manager from 1979 to present with Chicago White Sox, Oakland A’s and currently St. Louis Cardinals; His teams have won five pennants and two World Series championships; First manager to win multiple pennants in both Leagues; One of only two managers to win World Series in both Leagues; Third on the list of all-time managerial wins (trails Connie Mack and John McGraw); As a player he played with Kansas City A’s, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves in the 1960’s and 70’s.